Vive les anglophiles! Perhaps we should pay you to stop sending your immigrants over to our coastal resorts. Not the 541 million euros you have paid us of course! Monsieur Starmer, he is most welcome anytime. More cash for our coffers.
I thought this article would be of interest: https://www.racingpost.com/news/opi...s-at-yorks-ebor-meeting-so-poor-aciYM4K6mr2z/
If races like the Juddmonte can only attract six runners for a prize nigh on 750 grand- which has been more or less commonplace in Group Races for years now- then perhaps a different tack has merit. Why not halve the Group Races’ prize money and invest it into handicaps, many of which have almost vanished into obscurity or mediocrity eg. Ascot Stakes, Cesarewitch, Lincoln, Victoria Cup, etc. Perhaps then Group 2 and 3 horses would be attracted into handicaps, even if carrying top weight. Something needs to be done because Flat Racing is dying a death with a glut of fixtures immersed in second rate entertainment and devoid of excitement. Amazingly I’ve only watched two races at York this week- and not one today. Tell me I’ve missed something!
In 2015 Barry Hills son John sadly died at a cruelly young age. He'd recently been added to the roster of Shadwell trainers and the future had looked bright. Barry took over the running of the stable until a replacement was found. That replacement was Owen Burrows who for the previous 12 years had been assistant to Sir Michael Stoute. It's fair to say he didn't make an initial splash. He certainly didn't have any big names representing him. His breakthrough horse was Hukum who disappointed first time out and then had a pleasing win at Kempton. He was a colt by Sea the Stars out of a useful racemare called Aghareed, who in turn was out of a very useful racemare called Lahudood who'd won amongst other races the 2007 Breeders Cup Fillies and Mares Turf race. But for breeding pundits it was Hukum's 5th dam who raised the eyebrows as it was Height of Fashion (owned by the Queen but sold by her racing manager as a 3yo to Hamdan). Hukum looked a potential Derby horse but he didn't get the chance as Covid destroyed his 3yo season and his first run was in Royal Ascot's King George V Stakes, which he won. However Hukum went on to win two Group 1s: the Coronation Cup as a 5yo and the King George as a 6yo. In all he ran 18 times and won 11 races. When he won the 2022 Coronation Cup he was Burrow's first Group 1 win. 3 months later Burrows won a further Group 1 with Minzall. It was Burrows' breakthrough year. Meanwhile in Newmarket in 2021 an unraced 3yo brother to Hukum was ready to make his debut : actually at Leicester in early June. He won easily and was then gradually built up by William Haggas so that his 4th start (and win) was a Group 3 at Goodwood, He then went on to win the Prix du Moulin and then the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (beating the favourite Palace Pier by a neck). The thing to notice here was although his full brother Hukum was a stayer (favouring 12f) Baaeed was very much a miler: arguably the 2021 champion miler. Whereas Hukum seemed to take after his sire and dam, Baaeed seemed to take after his damsire Kingmambo. Of course Baaeed went on to win the Lockinge, Queen Anne and Sussex Stakes as a 4yo, showing he was the best miler in Europe. He then went on to win the Juddmone over 10f from the tough Mishrif but found the same distance in Good to Soft ground at Ascot too much and only finished 4th to Bay Bridge. He was definitely a better horse than his brother, though at a different distance. Next year we will see his first 2yos. This year the spotlight returned to Burrows. On the 5th September another full brother, Raaheeb, made his debut at Ascot and won comfortably from a moderate field (although difficult to say how moderate at this stage). He has no fancy entries but most probably will run once again this season. Will he take after Baaeed and/or Hukum in Class and preferred distance. It will be fascinating to watch. The story doesn't end there as Burrows has a very promising 2yo filly called Touleen, owned by Shadwell and by Lope de Vega out of a Dansili mare called Talaayeb who won the 7f City of York Stakes and was 4th in the 1000G. Touleen has run twice, winning comfortably both times, and does have some fancy entries (Rockfel and Fillies Mile). Her connection to the above is that she has Height of Fashion as her 4th dam. She should stay a mile but could get further. So Burrows has firmly established himself as a trainer of very good racehorses. He has at least 2 very promising 2yos and must certainly be looking forward to 2026.
Almeric must have gone into a lot of notebooks as a possible classic colt when he won back in the Spring. It wasn't to be, but today he at last reappeared at Ayr and won the Doonside Cup in good style, despite running a bit rusty early on. He can now get on with his career but it's likely that 2026 will be his year.
Sad new that Coolmore's Wootton Bassett has died at the age of 17. He succumbed to pneumonia while on duty in Australia. His fee in the UK at the time of his death was €300,000 and he covered 206 mares this covering season.
